Drop by drop (From York Press)

Drop by drop

6:38am Saturday 6th March 2010 in

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SPRING is definitely in the air, even if temperatures are showing no signs of rising. Things are stirring in the garden and it is a joy to get outside in sunshine and blue skies to check out the beds for the signs that winter is over and another season of edible and ornamental is on its way.

The herb bed in our garden still appears to be quiet, although in its sheltered spot rosemary has provided a few fragrant leaves throughout the year. In cold months the flavour isn’t as good and the leaves rather tough, but a few sprigs snipped from the tips of stems give a tantalising hint of summer to homemade bread and soups.

Two other tough herbs begin to appear at the beginning of March. Golden oregano begins to cover the soil with tiny leaves beneath a network of last year’s dead stems and lemon balm can be spotted producing tightly curled foliage on the dark earth.

The oregano is well behaved, a spreading low mound of beautiful leaves will eventually spill over a sunny wall. Regular cutting for the kitchen keeps growth in check.

Lemon balm, on the other hand, can be very invasive, spreading by underground stems that pop up wherever they can grow. Its saving grace is the amazing sherbet lemon flavour of tea made from an infusion of the leaves. A daily cup of this brew will go a long way towards keeping the thuggish nature of this herb in check.

Snowdrops have at last arrived in our garden, later than usual, but now the weather is a little better there is more opportunity to enjoy them.

There is something quite enticing seeing their nodding white heads from a window and before we know it our feet are clad in wellies and the cold is being braved for a few minutes just to enjoy the sight of their flowers.

Snowdrops are hardy little plants and can survive most conditions very well, established plants clumping up and spreading happily if left undisturbed. They are best planted ‘in the green’ after flowering at the end of this month rather than as dried bulbs in autumn. While snowdrops are well into bloom, other small plants are only just starting. It is thrilling to think that in only a few short weeks, these small buds will be fully formed flowering plants.

Primulas are beginning to develop rosettes of leaves, crinkled green foliage gradually elongating and surrounding a central mass of plump buds.

Some are opening: in our garden it is always the pale yellow and cream varieties that survive the winter and reappear first each spring. They are quickly followed by the dark-leafed wanda varieties with deep red and purple flowers. These also seem hardy although not all make it through winter.

Weekend catch-up

GOOSEBERRIES can be pruned this month. This can be a painful job with spiny varieties, the thorns are fearsomely sharp and tough, so protective gloves are a good idea. Side-shoots can be cut back to just above a bud around 8cm from their base and the tips of each main branch trimmed back to three or four buds of the new growth.

Mature shrubs that have become congested can be opened out by thinning out shoots that are crowding out the centre of the plant. This will allow air to circulate more freely around the shrub and make picking the fruit easier.

Diary date

THE 2010 Harrogate Spring Flower Show will be held at the Great Yorkshire Showground from Thursday, April 22, to Sunday, April 25. Gates open at 9.30am on each of the days and the show closes at 5.30pm on Thursday to Saturday, 4.30pm on Sunday. Tickets at the gate are £14 (£12 on Sunday) with under 16s free when accompanied by an adult.

Advance tickets can be booked by phoning the Ticket Hotline on 0844 8733303 and will cost £12 for Thursday-Saturday, £10 for Sunday. There is a 70p transaction fee for each telephone booking, this is per booking not per ticket. The hotline closes at midday on Tuesday April 13.

Gardening TV and Radio

Tomorrow.

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, The Great Outdoors. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart.

9am, BBC Radio Leeds, Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.

2pm, BBC Radio 4, Gardeners’ Question Time. From Birmingham where Matthew Biggs, Bob Flowerdew, Bunny Guinness and chairman Eric Robson are guests of Selly Park Garden Club. Matthew Wilson interviews garden designer Beth Chatto and the gardening weather forecast is at 2.40pm. (Repeated from Friday).

2.45pm, BBC Radio 4, Snowdrop Mania. Kerry ten Kate meets growers obsessed by snowdrops, sees one small bulb sell for £150 at an Essex auction and learns that some devotees have turned to crime to expand their collections.

Friday.

3pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Matthew Biggs, Pippa Greenwood, Christine Walkden and chairman Eric Robson answer questions from Edenfield and District Horticultural Society. There is also a look at the history of the lawnmower and the gardening weather forecast at 3.40pm. (Repeated on Sunday).

Saturday, March 13.

7am, BBC Radio York, Julia Booth. Presenter Julia Booth and gardening expert Nigel Harrison hold their weekly plant surgery.